Drags a bit in the middle

eponymous sentence:
p117: Four hours later, Calia H. Ruffin became the last juror chosen--the first black to serve on a trial jury in Ford County.

punctuation mark:
p119: When Judge Loopus and the lawyers finally appeared they looked as though they had all been fistfighting The Judge nodded at the bailiff and the jurors were led in.

plot:
p315: Travis aimed and fired again.
The explosion ripped the porch completely from the house, tore a gaping hole in the back wall behind the kitchen, and sprayed shrapnel for a hundred yards. It shattered windows, peeled up planks, and it wounded the four observers. Teddy Ray and the neighbor both took bits of metal in their chests and legs. Travis's right arm and his firing hand were mangled. Maxine was hit twice in the head--one piece of glass ripped off the lobe of her right ear, and a small nail penetrated her right jaw.
For a moment, they were all unconscious, knocked silly by three pounds of plastic explosives packed with nails, glass, and ball bearings.
--Plastic explosives cannot be detonated by a gunshot.

I'm not sure whether the title refers to Calia, the last juror to be chosen, or Maxine, the third (and last juror) to refuse the death penalty, but the latter makes more sense.

It's definitely one way of writing something outside of his comfort zone without straying too far.

One of Grisham's best I'd say. The author capitalized on what he does best, that's the legal part, then added a lot of heart to it.  It combines the thrill and drama of the scenes in the courtroom with the heart and soul and lives of its many colorful characters.

The story spans a decade, the 70's, a period of transformation and awakening, especially in the deep south.  It talks about taking risks, commitment, growing up.  It demonstrates the power of the written word.  It relates how true friendship can break barriers.  All of these, Mr. Grisham cooked up, and peppered it with the legal excitement that he's become a master of, and the result is just very tasteful.

Everyone has an opinion on Grisham, and if you don't like him, feel free to skip my review! I read a ton of his books when I was travelling regularly for work (I'd pick one up in the airport book store and leave it when I landed on the other side), but haven't read one in a while. It was good to come back to him with this one! Yes, it was about a trial, and yes, it was in the South, but this time the narrator is the local newspaper's editor/owner. Definitely a different tack, and one I enjoyed. The lawyers in this one explain things to him, but aren't central.

I loved his descriptions of people in this one. I could actually see and hear them talking. And the descriptions of the food! oh dear! This book shouldn't be read when hungry. One section I marked to go back to is Miss Callie's pot roast. It sounded good enough that I'm going to try it.

Here's the excerpt:
"As usual, I confessed that I'd never had a pot roast, so Miss Callie described the recipe and the preparation in detail. . . . It was her simplest dish, she said. Take a beef rump roast, leave the fat on it, place it in the bottom of the pot, then cover it with new potatoes, onions, turnips, carrots, and beets; add some salt, pepper and water, put it in the oven on slow bake, and wait five hours. She filled my plate with beef and vegetables, then covered it all with a thick sauce. "The beets give it all a purple tint," she explained.

Yum! Talk about comfort food.

So, here's the thing. I picked up about 20 paperbacks by Grisham at a garage sale. Guess I gotta read 'em!
"The Last Juror" was the first I picked up.
Grisham is a brilliant story teller, and that's what I like the most about him. Breaks lots of rules about point of view, telling rather than showing, but he gets away with it. In fact, you barely even notice these things. He doesn't always deliver the most dazzling prose, but the man sure knows how to hook you.
He's right up there with King as far as characterisation goes. Terrific dialogue and pacing.
I've gone back to the beginning and now I'm reading his first novel, "A Time to Kill".

Nisam ljubitelj trilera i ova knjiga mi je bila beskrajno nezanimljiva. Čitala sam je mesec dana i uz velike napore uspela da je završim.

A great pleasure to read. A nice story with good atmosphere.

As always, Grisham’s writing is witty and down to Earth.

This book reminded me of people in Key West where I lived for four years. Key West had the same kind of "small town" atmosphere like Ford County in this book, and its people were as colorful as people in this book. Coincidentally, I worked at a small publisher in Key West, like the one in this book, so I enjoyed this book very much.

"The Last Juror" is not a court crime novel. Rather, it is a book about people in Ford County, including a gruesome murder, its trial, and after-story, in 1970s. Part 1 of this story is mainly developed around a murder and its trial, and then part 2 is more focused on people in Ford County in a wide range. There are more incidents developed in part 3, and the ending was sad but beautiful. Readers learn about these people as the protagonist interacted with them. Characters in the book were depicted very well, and it made me feel that I actually knew them. Some of them were unique and so charming. I felt lots of love and sentiment of John Grisham in this book. I loved it:)

Willie Traynor, a newly graduated journalist, moves from the north to a small town in Ford County, Mississippi, and takes over the local newspaper. In 1970, shortly after he’s taken over the paper, Danny Padgitt is arrested for raping and murdering a young mother, in her home, while her kids woke up and witnessed what was happening. Willie’s coverage of the story puts him in the path of the entire Padgitt family, who tend to keep to themselves. In the meantime, Willie has become friends with a local black woman, a woman who becomes the first black woman to serve on a jury in Ford County. After the trial, the town moves on and Willie continues to cover the news over the next decade or so… and jury members from the old Padgitt trial start to turn up, murdered.

I really liked this one. I have to admit that the middle section slowed down, but I really liked the first section and it picked up again at the end. I also really liked the friendship between Willie and Miss Callie.

John Grisham tries to portray journalism while dealing with controversial reforms. He has spun a very believable tale, handling few social issues on the way. One almost feels like he used the narrator as a voice to put across his opinion about the various subjects he handles here. To hold one's interest, there is a crime, as always.

Wonderful reading

Due to eye issues Alexa reads to me, an excellent will written thriller mystery novel by John Grisham. The characters are interesting and will developed. The story line is complicated, violent ,full of misdirection, growth, relationships,and the conclusion. I would recommend this novel to readers of Mysteries and John Grisham.Enjoy reading

Fand die als Tiefstpunkt bewertete Bruderschaft ganz witzig und auch den ungnädig aufgenommenen Richter nicht soo schlecht. Und da mich die Ausgangsbasis des Romans interessierte, griff ich zu. War ein glatter Griff ins Klo, absolute Gutmenschenkacke mit katastrophalen Charakterbeschreibungen. Hatte nicht unbedingt Nervenkitzel bis zur letzten Seite erwartet, aber die Liste hat das Niveau einer Schülerarbeit. Allerdings atmet das Werk eines Anfängers wenigstens ein gewisses Maß an Enthusiasmus und Engagement. Davon ist trotz aller überdeutlich zum Ausdruck gebrachten guten Absichten nichts zu spüren - diese Liste gehört in die Tonne.